1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to tire testing machines and, more particularly, to tire testing machines that require the tire to be tested to be lifted and mounted on a rotatable spindle. Specifically, the present invention relates to a tire testing machine and a removable hoist hanger used to load and unload tires from the test machines.
2. Background Information
One group of tire testing machines has a rotatable spindle that supports the tire during the tire test. The spindle is typically disposed in a protective safety cage that also houses a movable test surface against which the tire is engaged. The protective cage includes a structural frame having an upper frame member disposed above a gate opening. The gate opening allows a tire to be loaded into the cage onto the spindle where the tire may be tested. The tire is also removed from the cage through the gate opening. An exemplary test machine is sold by Test Measurement Systems, Inc. of Akron, Ohio, as model no. TTM-1.0TP2 (viewable at www.tmsi-usa.com). This machine has a safety gate that slides back and forth over the gate opening. Some safety gates have a vertical and horizontal component with the horizontal component covering the top of the test area when the gate is closed.
The tire is typically mounted to a rim and the combination may weigh up to 85 pounds. Workers have a difficult time loading and unloading these tires because of the weight and the location of the spindle. The process of loading and unloading tires has caused injuries. Repetitive tire loading and unloading can also cause injuries to the workers. One solution to ease the loading and unloading process is to position a crane above each test machine. Although this solution allows a single worker to easily load and unload a tire, the cost and time to install the crane is a significant disadvantage. Some tire test facilities have many tire test machines and the cost of a crane for each machine outweighs its benefits. Further, some test facilities do not have sufficient room above the test machines for the installation of a crane. There is little room to install a crane or a hoist hanger on the machines that use the gate having the horizontal component that slides back and forth over the top of the test area. Workers thus desire a solution that assists them in loading and unloading the tires from the tire testing machines.